The leaf that didn't make it

[Josh Bear]

Dear All,

tried to make the most of a bright sunny morning. For the most part was left unispired not with what I saw but rather my ability to take a decent picture!

Anyway I did see this leaf that had not quite made it to the ground.

Opinions please. I am particulary concerned about my composition ability at the moment.

Thanks

Josh

[Pops]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

Looks slightly overexposed on the top half right and that looks like your shadow at bottom right leaning over/on another stone but, my immediate thought was ....a memorial on a memorial

[Josh Bear]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

Thanks.

That is a great title. You are spot on about my shadow. Just couldn't find a position that didn't include it.

Your feedback is appreciated.

thanks

Josh

[Stephen]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

I think its a belter of a shot Josh. I love the textures, colours and light & shade. That leaf was a great find, well spotted. I also like the angles you have created withe the stone and shadows. Pity about your own, but what the hell, I suppose you could maybe disguise it with a bit of cloning, but it doesn't bother me that much.

[Nicholas]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

That is a wondeful shot.

My only comments are:
I would try a crop horizontally at the base of the stone and vertically, just including the stone in the background.
This elongated aspect ratio would emphasize the leaf a bit more.

I wonder how a shot of the underside of the leaf with the sun shining through it would have looked against the grain of the stone's surface.

Nicholas

[Goatsmilkuk]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

Great shot indeed, I have been scrolling the shot up and down in my browser to see how it looks, after which I think it adds impact with a small amount cropped off the top which then brings the leaf into a better position in the frame and also takes some of the sky away, which in turn adds more impact to the leaf.


Stu

[Pol]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

Maybe just shave a bit off the sky off the top and that, in my opinion, adds more impact to the stone, the leaf and the converging shadows of the stone and yer own shadow.

TBH - I rather like the 'shape' formed by the shadows of the leaning stone and your own shadow.... also the way the foreground stone, shadow and background stone lean from left to centre and your own shadow leans the opposite way to 'meet up' with them.

Pol

[Tom]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

Composition wise, I think this would fare much better if all background etc had been excluded and the total emphasis put on the stone and lone flower plus the good looking texture that is in the stone. Probably a hand and knees job but I imagine made a little difficult by the recline of the stone.
Tom

[spl]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

I know this is supposed to be critique but I love this picture as it is.

[Josh Bear]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

Thanks All, loads of different suggestions and ideas. Very much appreciated.

Best Regards

Josh

[StuartR]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

Nice shot Josh, personally I think the composition is fine as it is. The shadow could easily be from another headstone or memorial perhaps?

[Tinka]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

Hi I think it is a great shot well spotted, most would have walked past including me, I personaly would have adjusted the exposure in an image prog and increased the saturation a little, but thats purely my personal taste.composition looks fine to me like the angles, light and shadows, the leaning stone takes you into the image.

[LesleyO]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

I love the subject! Just the kind of thing that I like to find when I'm out and about. I wonder, though, if a hard crop would suit it, cropping off your shadow on the right and part of the sky at the top. This would put the leaf at the upper 1/3 quadrant intersection, rather than more or less in the centre of the top 1/3, and for me, it provides more impact. Hope you don't mind, but I tried it....

[Nicholas]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

Yes, that is precisely the crop I suggested above.

I like your crop and agree that your revised image has more 'impact'.

Regards, Nicholas

[Tom]

Re: The leaf that didn't make it

I really like Lesleys crop but it is a little too tight to the bottom corner of the stone.
Tom